Gas-mixing device



April 21. 1931. c HQWSQN 1,802,019

GAS MIXING DEVICE Filed Nov..' 13 1924 lllllllll."

i atented Apr.- 21, 1931 UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE CHARLES T. HOWSON, OF SILVER CREEK, NEW YORK,

ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO HUN TLEY MANUFACTURING (30., F SILVER CREEK, NEW YORK, A COR- PORATION OF NEW YORK GAS-MIXING DEVICE Application filed 'November 13, 1924. Serial No. 749,633.

My invention relates to improvements in gas-mixing devices, and more particularly to that type in which a mixing chamber is provided into which air and gas are led to be mixed therein, preparatory to consumption at a burner for heating purposes.

An object of my invention is the provision of a gas-mixing device, which will provide an elongated conduit extending vfrom the point at which the gas or other fuel and air are first brought into contact with each other to the point of consumption, and in which elongated conduit, mixing of the gas and air are carried on to the maximum degree to assure a highly eflective mixture with the minimum supply of gas or other fuel; the initial mixture of gas and air taking place in lines of travel at reverse angles with respect to the axis of said elongated conduit.

A mixing device having the objects abovementioned and others to appear hereinafter, especially when used in connection with a burner for heating purposes, results in a considerable saving of fuel, and due to the thorough mingling of gas and air resulting therefrom, produces av flame which throws 01f maximum heat units.

With the above'and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel features of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is aside elevation of my improved mixing device, part ofthe conduit leading the mixture issuing therefrom being shown in section.

" Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the device.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the device em bodying my invention in modified form.

' The mixing device includes a gas mixer 5, an air inlet tube 6 for said'gas mixer having a control valve 7 therein, a gas inlet pipe 8 leading to said mixer and having a control valve 9 therein, and a fan 10 associated with said mixerand in preferred construction receiving gas and air in commingled form from said gas mixer and forcing the same out- Wardly through a tube 11 to which a burner or other element (not shown) is connected, said burner or other element being at the point of consumption of the mixture passing through the device.

While my improved device may include-any form of gas mixer suitable for the purpose, I herein show a gas mixer such as set forth and claimed in my co-pending application, Serial N 0. 743,303, filed October 13, 1924, now Patent 1,749,914, issued March 11, 1930, and which comprises a casing or body portion 12 having an air nozzle 13 at one end and having secured to its other end the fan 10.

- Thecasing or body portion comprises an elongated hollow cylindrical member or mixing chamber 14 devoid of physical matter, a hollow head or enlargement 15 co-axial therewith at one end thereof, and an external flange 16 at the other end, which is connected toa second'head or enlargement serving as the casing of the fan 10, the interior of said cylindrical member or mixing chamber being alined with the inlet or eye 17 of said second head or enlargement, or as it may be termed, the fan casing. The first-mentioned enlargement or head of said casing or body portion serves as the inlet end thereof, while the flanged end thereof provides a means of connection to the second head or enlargement which serves as the outlet end.

The hollow head or enlargement 15 is formed by a wall 18 extending outwardl from the inlet end of the elongated cylindr1- cal member or mixing chamber, a cylindrical wall 19, and an outer end wall 20 parallel with a'nd'spaced from the wall 18. The wall 20 has 7 an axial threaded opening formed therein into which the air nozzle 13 is threaded.

' Into the outer end of'said air nozzle, the air inlet pipe 6 is threaded, and it extends into the interior of said nozzle, which is cylindrical a distance inwardly from said pipe, as at 21. From this cylindrical portion the 7 interior of said air nozzle is gradually enlarged toward its inner end by flaring the wall, as at 22. The outer circumferential yss surface of said air nozzle is beveled or tapered at its inner end, as at 23, so that a sharp circular ed 24 is provided at the inner extremity of sai nozzle.

At the junction of the outstanding wall 18 with the cylindrical wall of the mixing chamber 14, an internal flange 25 is provided, part of said flange extending into the hollon head or enlargement 15. The inner surface of said flan e is tapered inwardly from the hollow hea or enlargement to conform to the externally-tapered portion at the inner end of the air nozzle, which inner end said internal flange 25, or at least part thereof, surrounds in spaced relation. The annular inwardlytapered space 26 thus formed between said air nozzle and said internal flange serves as the gas inlet or passage for the mixing chamber.

B reason of the internal flange 25 extending into the hollow head or enlargement and the air nozzle 13 extending inwardly from the outer wall 20 of said hollow head or enlargement, a. substantially annular gas chamber 27 is formed in said hollow head or enlarge ment, and entering said chamber at one point is the gas inlet pipe 8.

Mounted in the air nozzle is an air deflecting cone 28, the base of which terminates at or near the plane of the inner end of said air nozzle, TlllS cone is spaced from the surrounding wall of the air nozzle to form an annular inwardly-flaring air passage 29. The gas enters the annular gas chamber 27 within said hollow head or enlargement from the gas inlet pipe, the flow of the gas being controlled by the valve 9, and from this annular chamber the gas escapes through the annular inwardly-tapered gas inlet or passage 26 in the form of a circular stream or film. The air passes into the air nozzle from the air inletpipe 6, the flow of which air is controlled by the valve 7, and it is directed through the annular inwardly-flaring air passage 29 between the inner end portion of the wall of said. air nozzle and the air deflecting cone. The circular stream of air thus supplied intersects the inrushing circular stream or fihn of gas and these two circular streams therefore aproach each other and enter the mixing chamr at reverse angles with respect to the axis of said chamber, and under such action an intimate mixing of the two circular streams takes place, not otherwise possible to accomlish. The gas and air thus entering the mixmg chamber in intersecting lines and, in streams or bodies of circular or annular formation, commingle within the mixing chamber without encountering any obstructin matter or substance and continue through sald mixing chamber while disturbed in their respective courses, one by the other only, so that a substantial commingling of gas and air takes place. Said mixing chamber is of even cross-sectional area or transverse dimension throughout its length. and as a minimum has.

its longitudinal dimension not less than twice its transverse dimension.

J ournaled in one of the side walls of the casing 10 of the fan, is ashaft 30, driven by a motor or other suitable power medium, and on this fan is mounted the fan-rotor 31. The casing of the fan has, a tangential outlet 32 into which the tube 11 is threaded, and upon rotation of said fan-rotor, the commingled gas .and air passing through the mixing chamber l l are drawn into the fan and are further out up and caused to comm-ingle in a thorough manner, and the mixture resulting therefrom is driven out of the tangential outlet of the fan casing and passed on to the burner or other element at which the mixture is to be used.

From the foregoing description, it will beapparent that the course through which the. gas and air pass from their point of first contact with each other to the point at which the resultant mixture is use, is. an extended or elongated one, and during the advance of the gas and air along this course, they are mixed in a progressively increasing degree.

Experiments showing that a commingling of gas or other fuel, and air passing along an extended course, or maintained in commingled form for a period of time, produces best results and assures a most economical consumption of the fuel; itbeing, however, understood that a course extended beyond a certain degree would result in the component parts of the mixture separating, and if used under such conditions would be less efiective.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the fan 10 has its tangential outlet 32 connected to the air inlet pipe 6. Air is drawn into the eye 17 of the fan casing and forced through said pipe under pressure so that the gas passing from the hollow head 15 of the mixer and escaping through the annular gas inlet passage 26 is intersected by an, annular body of air under accelerated speed passing through the annular inwardly-flaring air sage 29. WVhen, however, the fan is use at the inlet end of the gas mixer, the connection between the mixer and theburner or other element .at which the mixture is used,is madedirectly through the tube 11 without passing through a second fan.

Experiments have further shown that when the device is used as illustrated in the mndification referred to, economy in consumption of fuel over the common form of gas mixer is attained, but the amount of saving of fuel is small compared to that saved under the system disclosed in Figs. 1 to 3, in which the fan receives the mixture from the gas mixer causing the component parts thereof to be more thoroughly mixed, and delivers it to the oint of consumption.

here in the specification and claims reference is made to gas, it is intended to include any substance entering the mixing chamber of the device as gas, or capable of being converted into gas within said device.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A gas-mixing device having means for bringing together annular streams of air and gas in intersecting lines and an elongated passage having as a minimum a longitudinal dimension not less than twice its transverse dimension and having its transverse dimension equal throughout its length, said passage receiving said streams of air and gas at its entrance end at reverse angles with respect to the longitudinal axis thereof and being devoid of physical matter forming part of the device from the point of original contact of the air and gas with each other to the outlet end of said passage so as to prevent separation of the component parts of said mixture before consumption.

2. A gas-mixing device, comprising an elongated gas-mixing chamber devoid of physical matter forming part of the device and having means connected to one end there of to cause annular streams of air and gas to be brought in contact with each other in intersecting planes, said air and gas being brought together at the entrance end of said mixing chamber at reverse angles with respect to the axis thereof and said chamber being cylindrical from end to end and having as a minimum a longitudinal dimension at least twice that of the transverse dimension thereof, said chamber having a smooth wall and being devoid of interior obstructions from end to end thereof so as to assure a thorough commingling of the gas and air under the action of the initial commingling thereof without opportunity for expansion or separation of the commingled air and gas.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

CHARLES T. HOWSON. 

